Protective envelope for flat articles and package containing said articles



Oct. 18, 1966 G. Y. WORTHINGTON m 3,

PROTECTIVE ENVELOPE FOR FLAT ARTICLES AND PACKAGE CONTAINING SAID ARTICLES Filed Feb 4, 1965 R 1 5 mm, m wk m m I 2 0 y y k 2 J Z M n 51 I //4 W E W 3% United States Patent 3,279,594 PROTECTIVE ENVELOPE FOR FLAT ARTICLES AND PACKAGE CONTAINING SAID ARTICLES George Y. Worthington III, 4910 Earlston Drive, Washington 16, D.C. Filed Feb. 4,1965, Ser. No. 430,375 15 Claims. '(Cl. 206-62) The present invention is directed to an envelope for receiving substantially flat articles and to a package comprising said envelope containing such articles.

More particularly, the present invention is directed to an envelope for receiving substantially flat articles, such as phonograph records, pictures, books, and the like, including such additional articles as Bristol board, reels of motion picture film or recording tape, and other similar articles which are substantially fiat and which have edges which are fragile and subject to damage during mailing and other forms of shipping.

The envelope is so constructed that when one or more of said articles is placed in the envelope and the envelope is sealed, there is produced a package comprising a pocket containing the articles, and a laterally extending protective margin portion around said pocket, said margin portion defining a shock strip which will protect the articles, particularly the edges thereof, during shipment.

It is well known that when article such as a phonograph record is placed in an ordinary envelope wherein the edge of the record is adjacent the edge of the envelope, the record and particularly the edge thereof is subject to being damaged when the package is dropped so that the edge of the package strikes the floor. In order to prevent this damage, it is the present practice to mail records and similar articles in relatively heavy containers made of corrugated cardboard or similar heavy materials in order to provide protection for the articles. It is readily apparent that such containers are relatively costly and add appreciably to the weight of the final package, thereby increasing the cost of shipment.

According to the present invention, it has been discovered that an envelope can be made from ordinary paper stock having thicknesses and weight much less than the thicknesses and weight of the corrugated and heavy cardboard of the prior art.

It has been surprisingly discovered that when an envelope has been constructed as hereinafter particularly described, having a shock strip around the pocket, the shock strip will protect the edges of the article when the package is dropped or mishandled during shipment.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is, therefore, provided an envelope for receiving substantially flat articles such as honograph records, pictures, books, and the like, comprising a plurality of superposed sheets defining therebetween a pocket for receiving as contents one or more of said articles and defining a laterally extending protective margin portion around said pocket, said envelope having an access opening for inserting said contents into said pocket, and limiting means for preventing said contents from moving from said pocket into said margin portion to the edges of said envelope, said margin portion being yieldable to protect the contents of said pocket. 7

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a package containing substantially flat articles such as phonograph records, books, and the like, comprising an envelope formed of a plurality of superposed sheets defining therebetween a pocket containing as contents one or more of said articles and defining a lateral-1y extending protective margin portion around said pocket, closure means on said envelope closing said pocket, and limiting means for preventing said contents from moving from said pocket into said margin portion, said margin Patented Oct. 18, 1966 portion being yieldable to protect said contents of said pocket.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an envelope for receiving substantially flat articles, the en'- velope being made of relatively light paper stock, but still being capable of protecting the edges of the articles contained in the envelope during handling and shipping.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a package constituted by an envelope containing substantially flat articles, said envelope providing protection for the articles and particularly the edges thereof during shipment and handling.

These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the fol-lowing description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a blank which can be used to make the envelope of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an envelope made from the blank of FIG. 1, containing a phonograph record;

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the envelope taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 on a larger scale, showing the flap in the open position in dotted lines, and the flap in the closed position in solid lines, thereby showing the final package containing the phonograph record;

FIG. 4 is a cross section on a larger scale, taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 2, the record having been omitted.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a second embodiment of an envelope;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross section of the embodiment of FIG. 5, on a larger scale, taken along the lines 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 shows a blank 10 which is usable to make the envelope and package of the present invention. Blank 10 is made from a sheet of paper and has a central portion 12 and four laterally extending wings 14, 16, 18 and 20. Wing 20 forms a flap which provides the closure for the envelope after the article or articles are inserted into the envelope.

Wings 14 and 16 each extend laterally more than half the width of the central portion 12 so that when wing 14 is folded on fold line 22 and wing 16 is folded on fold line 24, the gummed edge 26 of wing 16 will overlap the edge portion 28 of wing 14 (see FIG. 2), thereby sealing the two wings to each other. Each of Wings 14 and 16 has a cut-out 30 and 32, respectively, at their lower edges, said cut-outs beginning a short distance outwardly from the respective fold lines 22 and 24 and extending to edge portion 28 and 26, respectively. It will be apparent that when the wings 14 and 16 are folded over the central portion 12, the cut-outs 30 and 32 together produce a cut-out 34 (see FIG. 2) extending inwardly from the lower fold line 36.

Wings 14 and 16 have similar cut-outs 38 and 40, respectively, along their top edges, said cut-outs beginning outwardly from fold lines 22 and 24, respectively, and extending to the edge portions28 and 26, respectively. When wings 14 and 16 are folded on their respective fold lines 22 and 24, the cut-outs 38 and 40 together provide a cut-out 42 (see FIG. 2).

Wing 18, having a gummed surface, provides the closure for the lower end of the envelope when wing 18 is folded on fold line 36 and is superposed over the folded wings 14 and 16.

In the finished envelope (see FIG. 2), the central portion 12 constitutes a bottom sheet 12 and the folded over wings 14 and 16, together with wing 18, constitute a top sheet 44, said sheets being secured to each other along their edges formed by fold'lines 22, 24 and 36. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom sheet 12 and the top sheet 44 are secured to each other along their edges by being integral with each other because they are made from a single sheet of material folded as indicated above.

It will be apparent that the top sheet 44, prior'to the folding over of wing 18 (that is, when only wings 14 and 16 have been folded over), has a cut-out 34 at the lower edge and a cut-out.42 along the upper edge, exposing through the cut-outs the corresponding portions of the bottom sheet 12.

Wing 18 extends outwardly from fold line 36 a distance greater than the height of the cut-out 34 and flap 20 extends outwardly from fold line 46 a distance greater than the height of the cut-out 42. Wing 18 has glue on its surface so that when wing 18 is folded on fold line 36, the glue will adhere the edge 48 of wing 18 to the exposed surfaces of top sheet 44 as constituted by folded wings 14 and 16, and also adhere wing 18 to the bottom sheet 12 where it is exposed through cut-out 34.

Glue is also provided on marginal portions 50 and 52 which are spaced outwardly from the center of sheet 12 and extend toward the respective fold lines 22 and 24, and may continue to the fold lines (not shown) or terminate short thereof as shown in the drawings. The glue areas 50 and 52 extend upwardly to a line just short of the upper edges of wings 14-and 16, respectively. The glue in portions 50 and 52 is activated by moistening or otherwise, so that when Wings 14 and 16 are folded on their respective fold lines, the bottom sheet 12 will adhere to the flaps 14 and 16.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that when wings 14 and 16 are folded over the bottom sheet 12 and wing 18 is then folded over overlapping flaps 14 and 16 and the parts have been glued to each other as indicated above, there is provided an envelope comprising a plurality of superposed sheets defining therebetween a central pocket 54, having an access opening at the upper end, for receiving substantially flat articles and also defining a laterally extending protective margin portion around said pocket, the margin portion being the portions of the top and bottom sheets which are adhered to each other as well as the remainder of the envelope outward of the periphery of the pocket.

It will be apparent that when an article such as a phonograph record P is placed in the pocket 54 through the opening, the phonograph record cannot slip out of the pocket into the margin portion around the pocket, and, more particularly, cannot extend into the margin portion to the lateral edges of the envelope because such movement is prevented by the adhesion of the top sheet to the bottom sheet around the bottom, the adhesion constituting limiting means for preventing the contents of the pocket from moving into the margin portion. In the structure of the envelope as described to this point, the limiting means is shown at the two side ends of the envelope and at the lower end of the envelope but not adjacent the opening of the envelope near the upper end ofthe envelope. The limiting means near the upper end of the envelope is providedby the flap 20 and the cut-out 42, as, will now be described.

Flap 20 has glue thereon so that when the flap is folded on fold line 46, the glue area will overlap the top sheet below the lower edge 56 of the cut-out 42 and also will be positioned in the area of the cut-out itself. In this way, when the flap 20 is folded on fold line 46 with the glue having been activated, the flap will seal the envelope;

because of the adhesion of the flap to top sheet 44 below the cut-out. At the same time, the glue on flap 20 in the area of the cut-out will adhere flap 20 to bottom sheet 12 in the area of the cut-out, thereby providing a laterally extending protective margin portion at the upper end of the pocket and providing limiting means for preventing the contents of the pocket from moving into the margin portion at the upper end of the envelope.

Therefore, in the finished package, after the envelope has been sealed by flap 20, the superposed top sheet 44 and bottom sheet 12 define therebetween the pocket 54 5. and also define a laterally extending protective margin around the pocket. The adhesion of the top sheet to the bottom sheet in this margin portion constitutes limiting means which prevent the contents of the pocket from moving into the margin portion.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper edges 58 of the wings 14 and 16 terminate short of the fold line 46 and the glue on fiap 20 begins at a line 60and extends outwardly therefrom to the upper edge 62 of flap 20. The lower edge 60 of the glue isspaced upwardly away from fold line 46 at least as much .as the upper edges 58 of wings 14 and 16 are spaced below fold line '46. In this way, when the flap 20 is folded on line 46, and the package is about to be sealed, any .air in the package which will prevent the package from lying flat can escape through the non-glue containing areas, as indicated by arrow 64.

Furthermore, this construction will permit the envelope to breathe, when the envelopeis sealed, that is, permit the free movement of air in and out of the envelope. If the envelope were tightly sealed, it would be possible for a sharp blow to burst the enevlope. It also permits movement of the contents of the envelopewithin the envelope without any restriction being caused by air pockets. When the final packages are stacked one upon the other, as they frequently are in the Post Office, the free movement of the air allows the envelope to flatten, thereby preventing bursting, and also allows'the envelope to expand to its normal shape when unstacked.

In the above description of an illustrated embodiment of the invention, it has been indicated that glue is placed in certain portions of the blank, in order to cause adhesion between certain portions of the blank when the blank is folded to form the envelope and package. Itwillbe readily apparent that the glue need not be applied to the blank until the blank is ready to :be folded into the envelope, this being a conventional variation for adhering sheets (not shown).

It is also apparent that the glue instead of being applied to the surfaces as shown in the drawing, may be applied to the opposed surfaces instead (not shown) or to both surfaces, this being a matter of choice of the manufacturer of the article.

The sheet material which is used to make the envelope may be paper (this term including thin paper board) and analogous flexible sheet materials including plastics.

If a plastic sheet is employed, instead of using a separate adhesive, the sheets may be secured to each other by the autogenous adhesion of the plastic such as by heat sealing (not shown).

cated but may be applied at spaced apart locations (not shown) in an amount sufficient to unite the sheets subthe envelope is not particularly critical, except that the' protective margin portions, which may be called shock strips, must be flexible in the sense that if the package is struck a blow at one of its edges in a direction parallel to the plane of the envelope, the shock strip will bend or yield to absorb the force of the blow. It is not necessary that the shock strip return to its original flat shape after the blow, it being suflicient for the shock strip to merely bend or buckle. strip preferably should not he so flexible that it is flaccid. A flaccid strip would be one which, if the package is held with its plane parallel to the ground, would bend appreciably out of the horizontal plane because-of its own weight. Such a flaccid strip could be bent out of shock of the blow.

It is also apparent that the ad-. hesive need not be applied continuously over areas indi-y On the other hand, the shock Excellent results have been obtained when the envelope is made from paper (this term including paper board) upwards from 20 lb. weight to about 200 lb. weight. For example, excellent results have'been obtained when using 48 lb. kraft paper to make an envelope about 12 inches by 14 inches having a shock strip about 1 /2 inches wide at the sides and lower end and about 2% inches wide adjacent the pocket opening. An envelope about 17 inches by 18 /2 inches could be made from about 150 lb. stock. The weight of the paper and the width of the shock strip are variable, depending upon the amount of shock which it is expected the package will encounter during handling and also may vary depending upon the fragility of the article. For example, a shock strip should be preferably between /2 inch to about 2 /2 inches wide.

It will also be appreciated that even relatively thin sheet material can be used, because in the shock strip in the illustrated embodiment there will be two thicknesses of this material united by an adhesive. This double thickness, plus the adhesive serves to stiffen the shock strip, thereby enabling it to absorb the shock.

Although in the illustrated embodiment, there is shown only one record or article in the package, it is obvious that a package can accommodate more than one article.

The envelope of the present invention is not particularly designed to protect the contents against a blow transverse to the plane of the envelope and particularly a bending force through the pocket. Generally, such forces are not encountered in normal handling in the mails. If protection against such a force is desired, a protective insert (not shown) can be used. I

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, particularly when the envelope is used for mailing very flat articles such as phonograph records, the pocket should be slightly wider than the record to permit slight lateral movement of the record within the pocket. This not only provides for ease of insertion of the record in the pocket, but also provides additional protection when the package is dropped on its edge. Any blow which is transmitted through the shock strip to the record would be absorbed by the movement of the record within the pocket.

Another advantage of the shock strip is that it would provide a margin to which the stamps can be aflixed so that when the stamps are cancelled by the Post Oflice there is no danger that the cancelling machinery will strike the contents of the pocket. The envelope can bear indicia on the outside outlining the shock strip with the notation that the stamps are to be cancelled in the indicated area. In order to provide the Post Oflice with suflicient room for cancelling, the shock strip at one end of the envelope, the upper end in the illustrated embodiment, is wider than the others.

Referring to FIGS. 13, there may be optionally provided holes 66 in flap 20 and in bottom sheet 12, these holes being so positioned that when the flap is folded on fold line 46, the holes in the flap will be aligned with the holes in bottom sheet 12. Normally when the envelope of the present invention is being oflered for sale through retail stores, the flap will be folded, although, obviously, not sealed. The retailer can utilize the superposed holes for mounting the envelope on conventional peg board displays and the double thickness will prevent the envelope from being torn during the handling by the customers. It is noted that the holes in bottom sheet 12 lie in the the area of cut-out 42, so that when the envelope is sealed, the holes do not provide any communication with the pocket. It also has been found that it is frequently difficult to seal a large flap such as 20 substantially covered by glue. The holes 66 permit the escape of some trapped air and also unexpectedly provide an excellent seal around the peripheries of the holes.

The hole or holes 66, which are used by the retailer for mounting the envelope on peg board displays, are preferably of an inch in diameter. Generally, one such hole in the center is suflicient, with the other holes assisting in the adhesion of the sheets. The holes which assist in the 6 adhesion of the sheets may be of an inch in diameter, but are preferably less, about ,4 of an inch in diameter, and these adhesion holes may be made in one sheet or both sheets. It will be appreciated that when such holes are punched, no matter how sharp a punch is used to make the holes, some of the fibers around the hole are bent out of the natural plane of the paper, and they form a better and quicker bond with the glue, when the glue is moistened. The punching also disturbs or breaks any glazing or coating on the paper. The holes also permit the glue to dry more quickly.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the top sheet 44' and the bottom sheet 12' are two separate and distinct sheets which are adhered to each other in the margin portions 68, 70 and 72 between the dotted line 78 and the edges of the sheet. The top sheet is provided with a cut-out 42 which is the equivalent of cut-out 42 of FIG. 2. A flap 20 and hole 66 are provided. Otherwise, this embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and provides a pocket 54 inward of the margin portions 68, 70 and 72.

The embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 is particularly desirable for use in making large envelopes where it may be preferable to use relatively heavy or stiffer stock such as lb. paper board, because such stock is not as easily handled as a blank such as shown in FIG. 2 as is lighter stock.

Particularly, when using heavier stock, it is desirable to provide at least one series 74 of score lines, but preferably two series 74 and 76 of score lines on either or both of sheets 12' and 44. The outermost series 74 lies inwardly of the shock strip, and the inner series 76 lies inwardly of the series 74. By way of example, the vertical score lines of series 74 are about one-quarter of an inch inward from the inner edge of glue portions 50 and 52 and the horizontal members of series 74 are spaced inwardly the same amount from the horizontal limits of the shock strip.- The lines of series 76 are about one-quarter of an inch inward of the lines of series 74. 7 It is noted that each of the score lines preferably extends from one edge of the envelope to the other. The flap 20' is provided with horizontal score lines 75 which, when the flap is folded, will be superposed over the upper horizontal score lines of each of series 74 and 76 so as to still obtain the effect of the score lines in the final package.

These score lines provide additional flexibility to the area of the pocket making it easier to insert the articles into the pocket. Score lines are particularly desirable in using paper board or corrugated board sufliciently stiff to protect the contents against a bending force. In such a case, the double thickness of the material in the shock strip may, at times, prevent the bending of the material in the shock strip when the package is struck a blow at the edge. If a shock strip does not properly bend, the envelope will bend at the outer score line (series 74). The score lines, particularly series 74, provide a stop which is engaged by the edges of the contents of the pocket to limit outward movement of the contents to the edge of the pocket.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the article, the phonograph record, is shown in a conventional dust jacket *1). It will be appreciated that the edge of the record is almost at the edge of the dust jacket, but the edge of the dust jacket is about one inch or slightly less inward from the periphery of the pocket to allow the contents to move laterally, either horizontally or vertically, as previously described, in the event the package is dropped on the edge. Of course, it will be appreciated that the envelope of the present invention can be used for records which are not in a dust jacket or album.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the dust jacket would preferably lie within the rectangle defined by the intersection of the score lines of series 76 and the edges of the dust jacket would be about one-half inch or less inward from the score lines of series 76. In this manner, the

' first and the glue applied thereafter.

7. score lines of series 76 would engage the edges of the dust jacket to provide the stop means to limit movement of the-contents to the periphery of the package.

Although it is previously stated that the present invention is not particularly designed to protect the contents against a blow transverse to the plane of the envelope, it will be appreciated that by using stifier materials as set forth in the previous paragraph, some protection can be obtained. The shock strip, by maintaining the edge of the article away from the edges of the envelope, also serves to protect the edges when a pluralityofpackages are stacked and tied together with cord, as is frequently done by the Post Ofiice when delivering a large volume of mail to the same addressee. The weight of the paper and the width of the shock strip can also be varied not only depending upon the fragility of the article but also depending upon the weight of the articles, because this will vary the blow at the edge when the package is dropped.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, there are shown holes 80 in the shock strip. These holes may be, by way of example, about of an inch in diameter and are positioned at least at opposite ends or sides of the envelope.

In FIG. 5, there is shown a hole 80 in each side and one hole 80 at the lower end of the envelope. The 'hole 66 in the fiap will serve the same purpose as a hole 80. These holes facilitate the fastening of two or more envelopes (containing the contents) to each other when a plurality of packages are shipped at one time. It is merely necessary to pass a short piece of string to the corresponding hole of a plurality of superposed packages. Each piece of string merely goes through one hole in any package and then the ends of the string are fastened to each other. This facilitates the shipping of a plurality of packages at one time.

Since the holes are in the shock strip, they do not interfere with the contents and also by placing the holes-near the center of the shock strip,'away from the corners of the envelope, the holes do not interfere with the functioning of the shock strip at the corners where protection is most greatly needed. I

In all of the illustrated embodiments, because of the cut-outs 42 and 42', at least a portion of the bottom sheet (12 or 12) below the flap (20 or 20) extends above the top sheet so that this'portion can adhere to the flap when the flap is folded to seal the envelope, thereby providing the protective lateral margin portion adjacent the pocket opening and also to prevent the contents from moving from the pocket into said margin portion. For

example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, this portion of the 7 bottom sheet is the portion above the lower edge 56 of the cut-'out 42.. In all of the illustrated embodiments, the

bottom sheet is longer than the top sheet with the extr length defining the foldable flap.

It will also be appreciated that, because of the relatively thin materials used in this invention, including the small depth of the glue, these materials have been shown out of scale in the drawing so that the thickness of the sheets, the thickness of the glue, the dimensions of the folds, etc. have been exaggerated.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the envelope is made from a single sheet of material. It is apparent that if desired a plurality of superposed sheets can be used. Similarly, in the embodiments of FIGS. and 6, sheet 12'. and sheet 44' may comprise more than one sheet so that in each embodiment either or both the top and bottom sheets may be constituted by more than one piece of material.

Referring again to holes 66, generally the holes will be punched after the glue has been applied to the flap. However, it will be realized that the holes can be punched If the holes are punched in only one sheet, the glue can either be applied to the sheet with the holes or to the other sheet. In any event, the utilization of these holes greatly assists in. the sealing of the flap and in fact can be used whenever-two sheets are united to each other, particularly when the areas to be glued are relatively larger It always hasbeen a problem to easily adhere a large flap having thereon a large area of glue. Therefore, the present invention com. prehends a method of uniting two sheets to each other, which comprises the steps of superposing one of said sheets over theother withan adhesive interposed between said sheets and maintaining'the sheets superposeduntil the adhesive is set, perforations having been formed in at least one of said-sheets before the sheets are superposed.

Of course, the perforations should be in the areas. to be glued so that the glue extends to the periphery of the holes, thereby obtaining the advantage of the better adhesion resulting from the use of the perforations.

The perforations can either. be made by a die or a punch which removes the material to leave a hole, or by a punch which is pointed, such as a needle ornail like punch, which does not cut out any of the material, but merely spreads it or tears the fibers apart to form a hole having a relatively rough or jagged fibrous edge.

I claim:

1. A substantially fiat envelope for receiving substantially flat articles such as phonograph records, pictures, books, and the like, comprising a bottom sheet and a top sheet superposed thereon; means securing said sheets to each other at their side ends and lower ends at least inwardly of the periphery of said envelope and outwardly from the center of said envelope to define between. said sheets a pocket having an access opening at the upper end of the envelope for inserting into the pocket as contentsone or more of said articles and to define a laterally extending protective marginportion, into which the contents of said pocketcannot enter, around said pocket at least at the side ends and lower ends ofsaid envelope; a flap having a free end superposable over said top sheet for closing said access opening, and means for securing said free end, when superposed over. said top sheet, to said bottom sheet inwardly from the upper edge of said envelope to obstruct, at least part of the space between said bottom sheet and said flap to prevent the contents of said pocket from entering into said space to provide a laterally extending protective margin portion at the upper end of said envelope into which the contents of said pocket cannot enter, said margin portions being yieldable to protect the contents of said pocket.

2. An envelope according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said sheets and for said flap comprises an adhesive.

3. An envelope according to claim 2, wherein said top sheet has a cut-out at its upper end, said cut-out being inward of the side edges of said top sheet to expose through said cut-out an upper portion of saidbottom sheet, the lower edge of said cut-out defining. the lower 2 edge of said access opening, said securing means securing said fiap to said bottom sheet through said cut-out and securing said flap to the top sheet below the lower edge of said cut-out.

4., An envelope according to claim 3, wherein said securing means secures said flap to said top sheet on either side of said cut-out as well as below the lower edge of said cut-out.

5. An envelope according to claim 4, wherein said flap comprises an upper continuation of said bottom sheet, said flap being foldable over said access opening and cut-out.

6. An' enveloped as claimed in claim 5,wherein said top sheet has a cut-out at its lower end, said cut-out being inward of theside edges of said top sheet to expose 4 through said cut-0ut a lower portion of said bottom sheet,

said top sheet being secured to said bottom sheet at the lower end of said envelope by means of a flap secured to said exposed lower portion of said bottom sheet through said cut-out and to. said top sheet around said cut-out.

7. An envelope according to claim 6, wherein said top sheet and bottom sheet comprise a single sheet of paper folded to define the envelope.

8. An envelope according to claim 7, wherein each of said protective margin portions is at least one-half inch wide.

9. A substantially flat package containing substantially flat articles such as phonograph records, pictures, books, and the like, comprising an envelope having a bottom sheet and a top sheet superposed thereon; means securing said sheets to each other at their side ends and lower ends at least inwardly of the periphery of said envelope and outwardly from the center of said envelope to define between said sheets a pocket containing one or more of said articles having an access opening at the upper end of the envelope to define a laterally extending protective margin portion, into which the contents of said pocket cannot enter, around said pocket at least at the side ends and lower end of said envelope; a flap having a free end superposed over said top sheet closing said access opening; and means securing said free end, superposed over said top sheet, to said bottom sheet inwardly from the upper edge of said envelope to obstruct at least part of the space between said bottom sheet and said flap to prevent the contents of said pocket from entering into said space to provide a laterally extending protective margin portion at the upper end of said envelope into which the contents of said pocket cannot enter, said margin portions being yieldable to protect the contents of said pocket.

10. A substantially flat package according to claim 9, wherein said means securing said sheets to each other and said means securing said flap comprises an adhesive.

11. A substantially fiat package according to claim 10, wherein said top sheet has a cut-out at its upper end, said cut-out being inward of the side edges of said top sheet to expose through said cut-out an upper portion of said bottom sheet, the lower edge of said cut-out defining the lower edge of said access opening, said securing means securing said flap to said bottom sheet through said cutout and securing said flap to the top sheet below the lower edge of said cut-out.

12. A substantially flat package according to claim 11, wherein said flap comprises an upper continuation of said bottom sheet, said flap being foldable over said access opening and said cut-out and is secured to said top sheet on either side of said cut-out as well as below the lower edge of said cut-out, said top sheet having a cut-out at its lower end, said cut-out being inward of the side edges of said top sheet to expose through said cut-out a lower portion of said bottom sheet, said top sheet being secured to said bottom sheet at the lower end of said envelope by means of a flap secured to said exposed lower portion of said bottom sheet through said cut-out and to said top sheet around said cut-out.

13. A substantially flat package according to claim 12, wherein said envelope is made from a single sheet of paper folded to form said envelope.

14. A substantially flat package according to claim 13, wherein said pocket is slightly wider than said contents to provide for limited lateral movement of said contents in said pocket.

15. An envelope according to claim 1 including at least one hole in each of said top sheet and bottom sheet, the hole in the top sheet being aligned with the hole in the bottom sheet, said holes being in at least one of said laterally extending protective margin portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,494,950 5/ 1924 Clark 206-46 2,104,361 l/1938 Bryant. 2,142,166 1/ 1939 Zalkind 22948 2,372,406 3/ 1945 Treneer 20646 2,440,022 4/ 1948 Salfisberg 229-48 2,550,520 4/ 1951 Bennett 22948 2,778,766 1/ 1957 Kloote et a1. 156-256 3,061,502 10/ 1962 MacDonald 156-256 FOREIGN PATENTS 65,189 6/1914 Austria. 974,299 9/ 1950 France. 1,221,727 1/ 1960 France.

731,932 6/ 1955 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner,

I. M, CASKIE, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT ENVELOPE FOR RECEIVING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT ARTICLES SUCH AS PHONOGRAPH RECORDS, PICTURES, BOOKS, AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A BOTTOM SHEET AND A TOP SHEET SUPERPOSED THEREON; MEANS SECURING SAID SHEETS TO EACH OTHER AT THEIR SIDE ENDS AND LOWER ENDS AT LEAST INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ENVELOPE AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE CENTER OF SAID ENVELOPE TO DEFINE BETWEEN SAID SHEETS A POCKET HAVING AN ACCESS OPENING AT THE UPPER END OF THE ENVELOPE FOR INSERTING INTO THE POCKET AS CONTENTS ONE OR MORE OF SAID ARTICLES AND TO DEFINE A LATERALLY EXTENDING PROTECTIVE MARGIN PORTION, INTO WHICH THE CONTENTS OF SAID POCKET CANNOT ENTER, AROUND SAID POCKET AT LEAST AT THE SIDE ENDS AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID ENVELOPE; A FLAP HAVING A FREE END SUPERPOSABLE OVER SAID TOP SHEET FOR CLOSING SAID ACCESS OPENING, AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FREE END, WHEN SUPERPOSED OVER SAID TOP SHEET, TO SAID BOTTOMM SHEET INWARDLY FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID ENVELOPE TO OBSTRUCT AT LEAST PART OF THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM SHEET AND SAID FLAP TO PREVENT THE CONTENTS OF SAID POCKET FROM ENTERING INTO SAID SPACE TO PROVIDE A LATERALLY EXTENDING PROTECTIVE MARGIN PORTION AT THE UPPER END OF SAID ENVELOPE INTO WHICH THE CONTENTS OF SAID POCKET CANNOT ENTER, SAID MARGIN PORTIONS BEING YIELDABLE TO PROTECT THE CONTENTS OF SAID POCKET. 